


Beautiful

by dragonsofmyheart



Category: The X-Files
Genre: AU, College, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2018-05-07 04:32:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5443439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonsofmyheart/pseuds/dragonsofmyheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mulder and Scully college au prompt</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Orientation

Dana pushed down the door handle with an elbow and kicked it the rest of the way open to reveal a small room with a large window overlooking an oak tree. She dropped her boxes on the bed and began unpacking. Folded clothes slid into drawers and her beloved duster found its home on a hook on the wall by her bed. A poster was taped above her dresser and her book collection was stacked next to her bedside table. All in all, when she was finished, it almost felt like home. After a brief glance around the room, she realized she would be without a roommate this year. Dana was used to bunking alone after Missy moved out so she wouldn't have to worry about readjusting to living with someone else. Deciding it was much too nice a day out to stay cooped up inside, she retrieved her duster and breezed out of the dorm to see what was going on outside.

The first thing she noticed when she stepped out was a gathering of students around a small stage. A man with a smile so big she thought he might be half Ken doll was giving a speech about how great the year would be and how excited everyone was to begin the next step in their "Life Journey", etcetera etcetera. Dana leaned against the building, waiting for him to say something worth listening to. Eventually he left the stage to cheers and applause and she decided to check out the oak tree she had seen earlier. She was intrigued by a possible place to study, nap, or hide her fags should her parents come knocking unexpectedly.

-_-_-

Fox Mulder was not a particularly impatient person, but this guy was really pushing his limits. He had been talking for what seemed like hours and Mulder was pretty sure he hadn't blinked once. He was briefly reminded of Anthony Hopkins in one of his favorite movies. The unwavering focus and eye contact made for a rather unsettling experience in Mulder's opinion. He was pulled from his thoughts when a petite redhead brushed past him, gently reacquainting his shoulder with the wall. She left a faint scent of peppermint and cigarette smoke behind her, and he turned around in time to see her fiery red hair disappear around a corner. Mulder was instantly intrigued, and followed her at a safe distance.

-_-_-

He had been following her, the guy she had bumped into earlier, for a while now. She sped up her strides ever so slightly and tried to look menacing. He had kept pace with her, even though she had been leading him around campus aimlessly for at least half an hour now. After a while she had somehow, on her roundabout journey, made it back to the great oak. She leaned back against it and lit up, waiting for her "friend" to make himself known.

-_-_-

Mulder had been following her for a while now and was getting a little tired of the game she seemed to be playing with him. Finally she stopped at the biggest oak tree he had ever seen. His breath hitched when he saw her, her long coat billowed softly in the wind and she looked almost angelic with the golden sunlight shining down on her face. She took a long drag from her cigarette and the smoke curled slowly upwards. He decided that this was probably a good time to go back to his dorm and regroup. Pulling his crumpled map out of his jeans, Mulder realized his building was on the other side of the tree. Deciding not to risk exposure, he snuck around the long way and arrived at his room, planning to further his investigation later.


	2. Not easy to miss

He awoke to glaring sunlight and unfamiliar surroundings. After a few moments Mulder realized he was in his dorm room, it was five till eight, and he was gonna be a little late to his first class. _Shit shit shit._ He pulled on his favorite sweatshirt, which featured a classic neon green alien print, grabbed his bag, and charged out of the dorm. He arrived to class only five minutes late, but no one seemed to notice as they were all either half asleep or ahead of the curve. After a minute, Mulder realized why. The lecturer was about two hundred years old and spoke as though he too was nearly asleep. Mulder was moments from dozing off himself until he spotted a familiar punk with red hair slowly tracing a skilo and crossbones on a fellow student's neck who'd had the misfortune of failing asleep next to her. Suddenly she whipped her head up and looked straight at him.

-_-_-

Dana was usually excited to learn about anything. Except for this. Anything would be better than this. The lecturer was about as exciting as a tuna salad sandwich (she hated Tuna), and had to be older than the college itself. The only interesting thing was that the guy sitting next to her had fallen asleep, giving her his unspoken permission to draw her trademark on his neck. _Snooze ya win, eh old pal?_

She was nearly finished when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She looked up and locked eyes with someone who had apparently been staring at her, judging by the surprised look on his face. She winked at him and he blushed redder than a cherry. Chuckling quietly under her breath, Dana planned to keep an eye on this guy. If he kept up his current habit of staring at her so intensely she literally _felt_  his eyes, he wouldn't be easy to miss.

-_-_-

A few weeks after his chance encounter, Mulder headed to the library to do a little research and maybe find somebody to talk to other than Norman; his remarkably unremarkable roommate. He was clicking away at one of the computers when he spied a familiar redhead who appeared to be looking for something specific. He watched as she strode by a table of boys whose whispers earned them a glare that could freeze hell over. He ducked his head and continued typing, planning a way to see her face again without the glare. 

He pulled up his class roster and sifted through hundreds of names and pictures, but her ginger hair was nowhere to be found. Mulder closed the program and continued his essay for their shared class, he had chosen to write on the psychology behind "chance." A topic that was both fascinating and somewhat frustrating to anyone who'd already taken their SAT's and ACT's without it.

Upon completing a third of the pages he needed for the assignment, it was time for a break. The cafeteria was still open and he had a couple hours before Norman would return from book club, perfect time for a snack and to begin a nap. Mulder gathered his things and saved his paper. While on his way to the aforementioned mess hall, he spotted Norman talking to a tall, blonde woman by the decorative hedges that surrounded most of the college's borders. They appeared to be speaking with some urgency and kept checking their surroundings. After a strange handshake, the woman departed by walking directly into the wall of vegetation they had been standing in front of.

Mulder thought about the exchange for about ten seconds before entering the cafeteria and forgetting he'd seen anything. Various smells ranging from sickly sweet to salty and spicy assaulted his nose all at once, waking up his salivary glands and reminding him just how long it had been since he last ate. He loaded his tray, paid, and then ran back to his room. 

While he ate, Mulder ran over a few revisions to his paper so far in his head. Each paragraph addressed a different facet of the truth behind Casinos, the lottery, and other "chance" based systems. Different facts and their implications swam trough his mind, each attempting to stick to the other to build the metaphorical bridge from his introduction to the conclusion. He had build the supports and gathered some of he material he needed, but the two ends of the bridge had yet to meet. Mulder realized the only way he could attach them was hard, fast evidence found through experimentation. 

With this conclusion in mind, he tossed his trash and grabbed a notebook. The flier he sketched had to be attention-grabbing and enticing to any passerby looking to make a few dollars. 

 

**HEY YOU!**

**SHORT ON CASH WITH PLENTY OF TIME ON YOUR HANDS?**

_$5 to any participant in an experiment_

_**you will be paid up front in cash** _

Please be at the front doors to the library at 1:00 pm sharp on Sunday the 15th

for questions call me at: 

750-6084

_Thank you for your participation!_

 

 

Mulder photocopied the paper and posted it on the library doors, the message boards in the quad, and on the trees around his dorm. This included the oak he had seen the redhead at earlier, he hoped she could use the five dollars.

-_-_-

When Sunday rolled around, he found himself surrounded by about 9 people, he had given himself a $60 budget and this number worked out just fine. Mulder addressed the group, explained his experiment and led them to the testing area. By the time he arrived, there were 10 people in his group. He did a second headcount and realized he had been smart to put the flyer on her tree. The small redhead had been swallowed by the taller people in the group the first time he counted, but he could see her face now and she looked upset.

The experiment had several different parts, one of which was an interview and questionnaire. They took place in a grey, soundproofed room with dim fluorescent lights. In the middle sat a desk with a chair on both sides. He had nearly filled one notebook with information and answers given to him by each participant. She was the last one to be interviewed; she strode in like she owned the room and flashed her student ID for his verification. After he motioned for her to sit down, she dropped one of his crumpled flyers on the small table.

"I would like to formally request you not tack things to my tree." Mulder had had to use nails to keep the fliers stuck to the trees, a decision he had made without any consideration for the tree's "well being." He shrugged,

"Are you here for the interview or to kick my ass for 'hurting' your tree?" She rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair, sitting with her legs spread in a manner akin to the way a man with the winning sat awaiting his turn.

"I'm here for the five dollars" He nodded and retrieved a new pencil, flipping to a fresh sheet of paper in his notebook.

"first question: do you believe in fate in the conventional sense of the word?" 

She shook her head. He made a note.

"how about destiny?"

The same response. Another note.

"Do you believe in luck?"

This time she nodded slowly, unconsciously fingering the small gold chain around her neck. He made a long note.

"have you ever purchased a lottery ticket?" 

She scoffed, "you've got a better chance of getting struck by lightning than winning one of those things."

He furrowed his brow, quoting her in his notes. He wrote a bit more. 

"Do you know anyone who's won the lottery?"

Yes, she had. They won $50.

"do you know anyone who's been struck by lightning?"

no, she didn't 

"Are you considered by those who know you a cynic or a believer?"

She answered the way he thought she would. They continued in this manner, him asking questions and her snapping back quick answers. He would write something down every few answers. After about ten minutes of this, he closed his notebook and put it and his pencil on the table. He rummaged in his wallet for a $5 bill and laid it on the wood surface. He did this while focusing most of his attention on gathering his belongings from behind the desk.

"Thank you for your ti-"

He was cut off by the click of the door. When he looked up the $5 were gone along with his pencil and the flyer. 


	3. An Invitation

The lounge was filled with its incessant hum and buzz, making studying rather difficult. Dana was just minding her own business when some sorority bot trotted up to her, shoved a flyer in her face, and "formally" invited her to "the greatest party this century". Dana glared at her, snatched the brightly colored paper and shooed her away. It was tacky, but said something about free booze. She shoved it in her textbook, slammed it shut, and trudged up to her room. After taking off her duster and hanging it on its hook, she flopped down on her bed and contemplated the pros and cons of going to this party.

-_-_-

Mulder didn't remember how he got here or why he came, but it was loud and he was excited. He was just swaying slowly on the dance floor when a tiny ginger force nearly knocked him over when she misjudged the distance between herself and Mulder. Not bothering to look closely at who it was, he began to dance and was actually enjoying himself. The girl he was with seemed familiar, but his fuzzy brain didn't bother to think further than that on the subject. She was an energetic dancer and intimidated him a little. When the song ended, she proclaimed loudly in his ear that she wanted to show him something. Fearful of being maimed if he said no, he obliged and was dragged upstairs. When he finally stumbled out onto the terrace, a small hand appeared in front of his face and he took it. He was helped up onto the roof and greeted by the most dazzling smile he had ever seen.

-_-_-

Dana was in the mood to do something dangerous. When she had finally dragged him all the way to the roof, she pointed at the sky and smiled at him. He wouldn't look up, and kept staring at her. Finally she got a little annoyed, leaning forward on tiptoe and grabbing his cheeks, she tilted his head back so he could see the stars. Dana loved the stars, she had wanted to know what it was like to be up there with them since she was a young girl at summer camp. She longed for all that space with those beautiful stars shining brighter than anything she had ever seen all around her. She never told anyone, afraid that they might remind her how silly it was like people had her whole life. Dana hoped he would be different.

-_-_-

"I wish I could be out there"  
She was fascinating, staring up at them, smiling without a care in the world. He could have stayed here forever. Suddenly she was looking right back at him and frowning. Before he realized what was happening, she grabbed his cheeks and his head was jerked back. Soon he realized why she was so enamored. The stars were dazzling, and though the party raged on loudly beneath them, he could not hear a thing.


	4. Come here often?

They met again under the oak tree. It was nearly winter, and the air had a distinct chill. Mulder had just finished packing up for his last class, when he felt the sudden urge to visit the great oak (perhaps it was fate). Always trusting his instincts, Mulder made a beeline for it. As he drew nearer to the tree, he smelled peppermint and cigarettes. When he peeked around the other side of the tree, he saw Her. She was wearing her duster, distressed jeans, and a maroon tee. She was smoking, of course, and had her hair pulled back in a way that showed off her numerous piercings and the gold chain with what looked like a crucifix dangling from it. He leaned on the tree and said the first thing that came to mind.

-_-_-

"Fancy seeing you here."  
She started at the voice, and turned around to find its source. Him. The man she danced with the other night, the one she kept seeing.  
"Likewise." She replied.  
"Come here often?" He smirked,   
"All the time, what's it to you?"  
"Just trying to get to know you better"  
"Why?"  
"Because our paths keep crossing and I would like to make any future encounters less awkward."  
"Ok, first tell me your name"  
"Mulder"  
"Mulder?"  
"It's my last name"  
"What's your first name?"  
"Fox"  
"I see why you use your last name"  
"What's your name?"  
"Dana Scully"  
"Well, Dana, I for one would like to know what you're doing all by your lonesome under this great oak tree"  
"You can call me Scully, and is that some kind of trick question?" she gestured with the cigarette.  
"Can I invite you in for cocoa and a chat about why smoking is terrible for your health?" She shrugged,  
"Cocoa sounds good"  
"Alright then Scully, let's go"  
"right behind ya, Mulder."

-_-_-

The light of the fire in the lounge gave her face the same angelic glow he had seen on her the first day. She looked up at him and furrowed her brow.  
"What?"  
He looked away,  
"Nothing"  
She narrowed her eyes, studying him briefly.   
"So, Scully, what bring you to this establishment of higher learning?" He sipped his cocoa.

"Well, both my parents went, and my older sister. It always seemed like there wasn't really ever another option." She sighed, looking introspective.

"What're you studying?"

"Comparative literature with an emphasis on foreign language. And you?"

"Psychology"

"Like head shrinking? Or are you gonna help 16 year olds decide their futures?"

"More along the lines of catching serial killers" Scully looked skeptical for a moment, "You're gonna catch crazy mass murderers for a living in that sweater?"

"No, I'm going to wear my Crazy Mass Murderer Catching sweater, _Duh."_ Scully let out a short bark of laughter and leaned toward him conspiratorially.

"pray tell, dear Foxy, what would drive you down such a dark and dangerous path and away from the plush beanbags and pension plan of a high school guidance counselor?" She asked, grinning.

"My sister's disappearance." Scully's smile dropped at his sudden change in tone.

"god, Mulder, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" 

"it's fine," he waved his hand with false indifference, "it was so long ago, the wound's scabbed over." His lack of eye contact and balled fist told another story, however.

"it's ok if you don't want to talk about it." She gently grasped his warm hand between her two cold ones in an attempt at expressing her sympathy.

"I can talk about it, Sculls, but before I even begin to unravel my crazy origin story I have to know one thing."

"Certainly, Mulder" she placed her cup carefully down, giving him her full attention, hoping to convey an air of support.  
  
"Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrials?"

"Logically I would have to say no. Given the distance needed to travel from the outer reaches of space the energy requirements would exceed a spacecraft's capabilities-"

"Conventional wisdom"

"What kind of question is that anyway? Do you believe in them?"

"I want to believe"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support guys! I've got about six more chapters qeued, and I'm still writing new ones. So don't go away! :)


	5. Snow

 

They met under the tree. She was laying in the sun warmed grass, wearing a beautiful white dress that seemed to ripple in the wind and a flower crown, completely still. As he approached her, he noticed her crown wasn't the only garment made of flowers. Tiny, white, flower blossoms seemed to sprout from her skin. They swayed gently in the breeze, she was a sight to behold. He knelt by her side and moved to brush her bangs back. As soon as his fingers made contact with her skin, she began to sink into the ground. The roots of the coffin seemed to frame her small body as it sunk slowly. He grasped at her shoulders to save her from the sinkhole, but they came back filled with the same white flowers that decorated her skin. The roots seemed to form some kind of organic coffin, lowering her to an early grave. Despite Mulder's attempts to rouse her, she remained still and silent. She was sinking quicker and quicker, the earth swallowing her oak coffin. He scratched frantically at the "lid," only managing to break his fingernails off and scrape his hands rather badly. He screamed her name as grass began to grow out of the cracks in the wood, and with a small _fwoosh_ she was gone. Mulder looked down, feeling a small tickling sensation. A small, white, flower had sprouted from the bare skin on his ankle.

Mulder jerked awake at two am to snoring and the realization he had nothing to do tomorrow. His dream was fading quickly from memory. He decided to see that she was safe, as there was no way he was getting back to sleep tonight. He pulled on his jeans, boots, his favorite shirt, and an old leather jacket Scully'd given him after she found it at a thrift store on one of her adventures. The fabric was warm and he tiptoed out of the building and into the snow, careful not to get caught.

He arrived at her room in record time and knocked quickly on her door, hoping she wasn't out partying. He waited, leaning against the doorframe, for her to answer. Suddenly the door was flung wide and his breath caught in his throat. She was wearing his sweatshirt, the one he had given her when the first winds of autumn blew in unexpectedly and she had dressed poorly for the occasion. He blushed fiercely, and made sure not to look away from her eyes. She wasn't wearing any makeup, and they shone through brightly up at him. Blue was his favorite color.

-_-_-

Dana had been lying awake, mulling over the topic for her next essay when a frantic knock sounded at her door. Startled out of her near hypnotic reverie, she sat up and flung open the door. Mulder was leaning against the door frame, fully dressed in jeans and that damn alien print tee. It was only then that she remembered she was only in her pj's, which really meant any old sweatshirt and some underwear. This was not any old sweatshirt however. This was his sweatshirt, a warm grey one that depicted a flying saucer over a picturesque landscape with the words "I want to believe" printed across the bottom in white lettering. He seemed to notice the sweatshirt as well and blushed a deep crimson. She hid behind the door and rubbed at her eyes sleepily, pretending not to notice the way he stared at her.  
"What is it Mulder?"  
"Do you wanna build a snowman?"  
"What?"  
"Dooooo youuuu wannnnnt tooooo buuuuuuild aaaa snowwwwmaaaaan?"  
he repeated, dragging out each syllable as if he were talking to a three year old  
"Mulder it's-"  
she checked her clock  
"-two A.M."  
"So?"  
"Don't you have to be up early tomorrow?"  
"Technically it's today, and no" he smirked and grabbed her icy hands in his surprisingly warm ones,  
"C'moooon Sculls"  
"Fine, just gimme a minute" she spun on her heel and shut the door in his face.

-_-_-

The moon was full and illuminated the two under the great oak. Mulder was rolling up the midsection of the snowman, and Scully had been working on its head. He watched her furrow her brow as she tried to sculpt out its eyes and nose, seeing as they didn't have any carrots or chunks of coal. He turned to gather more snow, a terrible mistake, and was hit it the back of the head with something cold and wet. He heard Scully's laughter echoing through the air and turned to prepare himself for another assault. She was nowhere to be seen.

-_-_-

Despite outward appearances, Scully was a child at heart and loved a good snowball fight. Well, any fight really. When his back was turned, she chucked the perfectly spherical snowball she had been working on at the back of his head and ran like hell. She climbed up into the oak's branches and sat very still, thankful her duster concealed her hair. He spun around to face the spot where she had been standing only moments before. His eyes narrowed and he stood very still, listening, it seemed. She couldn't help herself and a giggle escaped her lips. He immediately looked up and spotted her, apparently the duster wasn't enough. Scully narrowly ducked his next snowball and climbed down from the tree. She hid behind it and reloaded. 

A solid thump against its trunk followed by a frozen mass sailing right by her head let Scully know he meant business. Swinging out from the trunk for only a moment, she quickly realized Mulder had found his own shelter behind what appeared to be a frost-coated recycling bin. She laughed out loud at his attempts to fit his entire lanky frame behind the small receptacle. She slung both of her snowballs and just narrowly missed his exposed behind. She nearly pissed herself when he reacted by straightening up, only to slip and land solidly with his arms and legs sprawled across the ice, arse in the air.

-_-_-

Her first shot missed, but the next one caught him in the chest. He whipped around, madly seeking a hiding place, and dove behind a green rectangle. He knew it was a long shot that the whole thing would hide him, he was six feet tall for Greyskull's sake. His floppy hair was soaked with melted snow, making it hard to see when it ran into his eyes. He made a valiant effort nonetheless and was excited and then disappointed when he realized the thump he had heard came from his snowball hitting a tree and not its ginger target. He crouched again, scrabbling for enough snow to reload his arsenal when something cold and wet got a little too close to his apparently exposed backside. He let out a small yelp and jumped up. _Big mistake._

Mulder realized half a second too late that his erratic movements combined with the morning dew and temperatures below freezing meant he was gonna land arse up and legs out, winded and humiliated. Almost immediately upon impact, Mulder heard a high pitched cackle which he took to mean she had seen _everything._ He huffed and pulled himself up by the green bin. His mood was instantly improved when he saw the little redheaded demon doubled over with her eyes squeezed tightly closed. _Completely exposed to attack._

He crept up to the frosted oak, careful to keep from falling on his ass again. He reached around the back of the tree and caught her up in a bear hug (of attack obviously), her arms flailing about. She laughed even louder than him when he succumbed to the sharp knee kick she administered and they fell in a cold, wet heap on the ground.

"Merry Christmas, Scully" he squeezed her tightly, and felt her tiny arms wrap around him in return.

"Merry Christmas, Mulder"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapters guys...


	6. Hemophobia extrema

They were both sitting in her room in the dark, surrounded by small, red candles. A ouija board lay between them, black and ominous. Dana was wearing her comfy clothes, which consisted of his sweatshirt and a pair of cherry red leggings. Mulder seemed uneasy, as if he really believed in this stuff. Dana giggled and placed her small fingers on the pointed piece. He did the same, his hands almost completely covering hers.

"Are there any spirits here who would wish to commune with us?" She called, wiggling her eyebrows at him. He stiffened as the pointer moved towards yes.

"Sculls... I'm not sure this is a good idea" his voice cracked but she just smirked. The pointer began to move again, picking up speed until it finished its message.

**knock knock**

"who's there?"

**Dwayne**

"Dwayne who?"

**Dwayne the bathtub I'm Dwowning**

Dana burst out laughing at the look of abject horror on Mulder's face. He jumped when she flipped her hands upside down and grabbed his. 

"Sculls that's not funny" he frowned and laced his fingers with hers. She slowed to giggles and then finally calmed enough to frown back, mocking him.

"I thought it was" she squeezed his hands.

He slowly slid them up her wrists until he reached her elbows, maintaining eye contact. She shivered as goose flesh rose under the warm shirt. Suddenly his hands shot forward and pinched her sides, she tried to wriggle away as he continued his onslaught of tickles and pinching. She rolled onto her back and he followed her pinning her hands with one arm and tickling with he other. She was tearing up from laughing so hard and he could only watch her face as it contorted and smoothed between breaths. Suddenly, she broke an arm loose and karate chopped the arm holding her other hand. It buckled and he came crashing down in time for her to use his momentum and roll them so she was on top of him. Pinning both arms under her knees, she began her own slower version of his attack. This time on his neck, where she knew he was especially sensitive. He cringed and writhed as she continued tracing one finger slowly up and down any exposed part of it. He craned his neck this way and that, trying in vain to escape her tickle attacks. He threw his head forward without thinking and a dull crack was heard, followed by a hot, wet drop of something onto his lip. Scully hissed, immediately grasping her nose in an attempt to not bleed on him anymore than she already had. She shuffled over to the tissues and managed to staunch the flow. When she turned back Mulder was sprawled on the carpet, a single drop of blood resting on his serene face. He had, upon seeing the single drop, fainted dead away. Scully cursed under her breath and shook him awake with one hand, holding her tissues with the other.

-_-_-

Mulder awoke to the sound of her voice, only slightly more nasal and quite a bit more annoyed than usual. He sat up gingerly, rubbing his eyes.

"What happened, sculls?"

"You almost broke my nose and then fainted at the sight of the blood"

Mulder swallowed thickly, "B-blood?"

Scully nodded and tapped her face to indicate where the single drop had landed. Mulder looked down at his lip to find the little red dot still there, sharply inhaled, and fainted again.

-_-_-

Scully actually threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, and went to get a cool cloth to clean his face with. When she returned, fresh faced and bandaged, he was blinking furiously from his sprawled position. She trotted over and quickly wiped his face before he had a chance to swoon again. He sat up and asked what happened, and she explained as much. He apologized profusely, but she waved him off. Mulder folded up the discarded board and cleaned up the tissues for his penance, steadfastly trying not to let the small amounts of blood on one affect him. Scully watched him, cold pack pressed to her face with a smirk and no small amount of affection for the bumbling fool.

"Gee sculls, I really do feel bad about it" he said a final time and settled in next to her laying back against her bed, "is there anything else I can do?"

She peered around the cold pack at him.

"Kiss it better and we're even."

Mulder shrugged and pressed his lips gently to her own, pulling away before she'd even realized he'd been there.

"I meant my nose you dummy," she swatted his arm and yawned, glancing at the clock. He yawned back in response and got up, heading for the door. Before he closed it behind him, however; he leaned out.

"I know."


	7. Carrie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a few spoilers from the book "Carrie" by Stephen King, which I mean no copyright infringement towards.

A week saw scully's nose healing nicely. Mulder had stopped apologizing, but he winced whenever it caught his attention. Today they both had separate plans, Mulder was going to some kind of convention and Scully didn't want to go to said convention. They planned to meet later. She found herself, instead, at the base of the oak tree with her one of the day and a copy of _Carrie._

She was about halfway through, Carrie was finally enjoying herself and living a normal teenage life at the Prom. The whole thing reminded Scully of her own high school experience, how the other girls had ostracized her for her intelligence and lack of superficiality. After a while she had given up and decided if they didn't want to like her, they were gonna hate her. She pierced as much of her ears as she could, then her nose, then her belly button, until she ran out of room. She'd chopped off her long, beautiful, catholic braids and dyed the remaining green. After a while, she returned to her normal red. She wore dark lipsticks as long as administration would take to dress code her. Every act of nonconformity pulled her further and further away from the girls she used to envy. Dana was free from any kind of "social rules" and used this freedom wholeheartedly to get away with almost anything right under the Sisters' noses.

She laid the book down and blotted out her cigarette. She held it in the palm of her hand and tried to lift it like Carrie. She must have been staring pretty hard to have missed the sound of footsteps approaching the tree.

"trying to relight it, babe?"

Scully jumped and dropped it, whipping around and coming face to face with a pair of jean clad knees. She followed them up past the hem of his T shirt that clung only to his wide chest, up his lightly muscled neck, over his dimpled chin to his lips, which bore a smirk similar to her own signature one, past his strong nose, and into his deep brown eyes surrounded by small crinkles. She furrowed her brow, trying to figure out what this guy thought he was doing.

"Walter Skinner" he held his hand out. She took it and shook as firmly as she could from the ground. "Dana Scully"

He genuinely smiled, and sat down so he was eye level with her under the wide trunk. She kept a wary eye on him, but scooted over so he could lean against it too. When she turned back from stowing her pack, he was reading the back blurb of her book. 

"Sounds interesting, I've heard about this one." He flipped through the first few pages noncommittally. She waited for him to find whatever it was he was looking for, and gently plucked it from his long fingers. They easily held the book like some kind of kid's toy. She remembered what was going on.

"what brings you to my tree mister Skinner? Do you often assail young women sitting alone in secluded places?" She leaned forward and stared him down.

"Call me Walter, and only when they're as pretty as you" he replied nonchalantly and rested his weight against the bark. Dana sputtered and crossed her arms. After a moment she spoke,

"Pardon me?"

"I said, 'only when they're as pretty as you.'" He looked at her this time, gaze intense but hidden behind his false air of absolute calm. 

"Oh" she relaxed back and pulled out her pack again, thinking this encounter warranted another. After lighting it, she held the pack aloft in his direction, expecting the same response from _Walter_ as she had gotten from Mulder that first night they spoke. He took one and held it out towards her lighter, waiting for the flame to catch before taking a long drag. 

"That's a disgusting habit you know" she said, tucking the pack into her pocket. 

"I prefer to think of it as a deadly vice." He held her gaze, and winked, looking away only to take another pull. Scully looked contemplative, retrieving her book and flipping to the right page. Walter read over her shoulder. 

Carrie was really having a time of it, her prom date was dead and her beautiful dress and moment were spoiled by buckets of congealing pig's blood. Dana felt anger rise in her, drawing her into poor Carrie's mindset. It was Walter's warm breath on her neck that broke her trance and she turned to meet his big, round eyes staring straight into her own. She felt her cheeks flame at his extreme proximity, a million scenarios raced through her brain. He seemed to peer into her mind at that moment and the corner of his mouth twitched up. Scully licked her dried lips, tasting blood from when she'd chewed them anxiously while reading. His eyes flicked down, tracking the small movement. She took slow, deep breaths as well as she could, trying to calm the heat in her cheeks. His hand came up to brush her bangs back from her eyes and she caught a glimpse of his watch, 6:58. She was supposed to meet Mulder at 7 at the bench in front of the library. She turned his wrist to check twice and stood up quickly, brushing off her jacket and jeans. Walter looked up at her with confusion in his cow eyes.

"I have to meet someone in two minutes" she explained.

"but you met me already." She sighed exasperatedly

"someone _else"_

"Can I meet you again then?"

Scully turned around to grab her bag and book, smiling to herself. She schooled her features and grabbed his arm, wrenching up the sleeve and scrawling her phone number on the length of his forearm. He appeared stunned for a moment, but that look was quickly replaced with one of self satisfaction. She blew on the wet ink to dry it and yanked his sleeve back down, shoving her stuff back into her bag and taking off. He watched her scamper away, flaming hair reflecting the sun like stained glass.


	9. Discount Pigeon

He called her two days later. Dana would've liked to believe she had forgotten him because of how busy studying had kept her, but he was there in the back of her mind, popping up whenever she had a spare minute and sometimes when she didn't. The shrill ringing surprised her while she was folding her laundry and it took a moment to register what the sound meant. She grabbed the reciever and tucked it into her shoulder, continuing her task without really focusing on the fact that there was someone on the other line.

"Hey, it's Walter." Her eyes immediately darted to her books, picking out the familiar paperback from days before.

"Walter! what's up?" She tried to sound nonchalant but interested at the same time. It was harder than it sounded, if that was possible.

"What're you wearing?" He purred into the phone.

"What?" Her voice nearly cracked.

"Well I was planning on inviting you to hang out, but if you're not dressed for it...”

"Well as always I have my bullwhip and sable hat with me. Will that work?"

He chuckled, “Are you busy?" She glanced down at her empty laundry basket,

"No..."

"Then come down, meet me at the tree"

"What are y-?" she realized he'd hung up.

-_-_-

When she reached the tree he was leaned against it, stiller than a statue. She tapped him on the shoulder but he didn't move other than a slight turn of the head. She walked around him until they were facing each other. He followed her with his eyes, gently pushing himself off the tree to close the distance between them. 

"So what's the plan?" She stared up at him expectantly. He smirked,

"I was thinking a walk along the beach and then a romantic carriage ride." he intoned sarcastically. She raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, alright. How about we go for a ride on my bike until we see something interesting to do?" Scully considered this for a moment, she hadn't ridden a motorcycle since one of Missy's "bad boy" boyfriends had taken her for a ride. She wasn't gonna do anything today anyway.

“Sounds fun.”

Walter looked surprised that she'd accepted. In a minute or so they were helmeting up and on their way. 

They sped out of the campus and the small town that surrounded it. A thick ring of forest kept it nearly hidden from the outside world. The winding path finally made Scully wrap her arms around his midesction to avoid falling. He glanced back at her, smiling like he knew something she didn't. She squeezed his stomach as hard as possible, digging in her knuckles and he wheezed. She laughed.

Afternoon sun struck them as they left the leafy tunnel. They were on a paved road now and the view was clear all the way to the coast, the sparkling water churned and bit at the rocky shore. A tiny lakeside village caught her eye, she pointed it out to Walter and he nodded approvingly. Fluffy white clouds rolled in over their heads in a solid mass, if it got any cooler they might be looking at some rain.

-_-_- 

After about ten minutes, they arrived in the town. They dismounted and strolled around. It had a few shops, one of which caught Scully's eye. She suddenly veered off to go in. It took Walter a second to figure out what happened and he whipped around to follow her.

It had a sign over the door with lettering so worn it was unintelligible. Walter ducked his head slightly as he entered the doorway Dana had been able to waltz right through due to her small stature. Upon entering, Walter's nose was assaulted by the smell of incense. Immediately he identified it as an occult shop. Glass shelves held various... _things_  in jars, stones of many shapes and colors waited on velvet beds of black and blue. Candles and and artifacts took up a lot of space, and the entire back wall was covered in shelves and shelves of tomes both worn and mint condition. There he spotted a small white hand tracing along their spines slowly, as if she was actually searching for something. He made his way to the back, careful to avoid eye contact with the various caged birds that twittered and flapped around their prisons. 

She was squatting, scanning the books on the lowest shelves. He joined her.

-_-_-

"Whatcha looking for Tootz?" She jumped, much in the same manner as she had when he spoke on that first day.

"Nothing in particular" She didn't look at him, regaining focus.

"Maybe something involving telekinesis?"

She scoffed, standing up to check a different part of the wall. She found what she was looking for, a book on natural cures and herbal medicine. It was for her history and culture 101 course, and would hopefully get her an A on the next paper. Walter had wandered off, but was easy to spot due to his stature. 

She came up behind him, trying to see what he was touching now. He noticed her and cupped it in his hands to hide it from her prying eyes. Dana shrugged and approached the counter, lightly tapping the hotel-esque bell which produced a dull thunk instead of the familiar  _ting_. Nonetheless, a tall woman with glossy black hair down to her hips sauntered out from behind a bead veiled doorway. 

"Just this then?" Dana nodded mutely up at the goddess, who smiled. She blushed furiously, paid, and waited for Walter to do the same.

He motioned for her to turn around as his purchase was a secret. She huffed and made her way to the front of the shop where the birds and snakes twittered and hissed.

White doves and discount pigeons cooed softly when she approached, and Dana shivered upon realizing their likely fate. A  stuffed crow kept watch over the snakes and lizards for sale. As she crouched to inspect them, a heavy hand descended upon her shoulder. Dana glanced up, startled to see Walter, purchase in hand, ready to go. She hopped up and said goodbye to the animals as he escorted her out. 

As she exited the shop, a strong gust of wind nearly knocked her over. Walter grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his chest to block the wind. She used this opportunity to look for shelter. A restaurant down the street caught her eye and she used Walter’s grip on her wrist to get his attention.

-_-_-

She made it to the door first and flung it open, oblivious to the howling wind. She faltered as it hit her full force and instinctively he grabbed her wrist and spun her into his chest. Once she was secured, he noticed she was tapping on the hand that  _still_ held her wrist. He leaned down to her eye level and she indicated a small building to him as their next destination. He shrugged and they lurched towards it as she tucked herself more securely into his side. He smiled to himself and wrapped an arm around her waist. 

The building was really a somewhat rundown Italian place. Soft instrumental music wafted from a single mounted speaker. Warm lighting bounced off of the peeling white wallpaper and Dana’s boots thudded dully on the scuffed hardwood. A sign on a metal stake asked them to please, seat themselves and they did so gladly. The place was arranged into two hallways the branched off from the entry room into a few larger and smaller rooms.

Dana strode in front of him, poking her head around corners searching for the Perfect Spot. Walter watched her, an amused smirk playing across his lips. Finally she slid into a tiny corner booth. He followed her, sitting perpendicular, and craned his neck to search for any waitstaff. Dana stretched, kicked up her legs, and rested them across his knees under the table. Walter dropped his left hand onto her knee, stroking it absentmindedly with his thumb. 

-_-_-

The warmth of his hand on her knee surprised her at first but became comforting as he slipped into a rythym. She grabbed a menu from the metal holder and flipped through it, not really reading it as her mind was still on his hand on her knee. 

“See anything interesting?” His voice brought the menu into focus. She shook her head, actually reading now. He made a ‘hmm’ noise and procured a menu as well, resting it on the top of the table in order to turn the pages one-handed. 

A scuffling of feet caught both their attentions as a short, mustachioed man in a red shirt and apron approached their table. 

“Good afternoon, my name is Cecil and I will be you server today.” He spoke with an accent that was unfamiliar to Dana’s ears.

”Can I start you two off with something to drink?” He glanced at Walter. “Perhaps a wine list sir?” He nodded in response and Scully furrowed her brow,  _how old did he say he was again?_

“Just a water for me, thanks” Cecil nodded and scurried off to the kitchen. 

“Wine list huh? I didn't know you were...  _cultured_.” she elbowed him playfully. He smiled warmly and patted her knee 

“I probably won’t have to drive for a while with this storm blowing in so I figure we’ll have a little fun in the meantime.” His eyes glittered ever so slightly under the dim lighting.


End file.
